December 6, 2023
Brittany Watts, a 33-year Black woman from an Ohio suburb, has garnered national attention after being charged for leaving her miscarried fetus in a toilet at her home.
A woman in Warren, Ohio, is receiving national attention after leaving her miscarried fetus in a toilet. Brittany Watts has been charged with felony abuse of a corpse for plunging the fetus after giving birth.
On Sept. 22, the 33-year-old’s residence was investigated following a call to the police to inspect the home. What law enforcement found was the fetus in the toilet, with alleged signs of injury. According to Watts, who was 22 weeks pregnant at the time of the early birth, she “felt a big splash” that was the fetus. The Neighborhood Talk shared video of the hearing, in which Watts is visibly shaken.
A post shared by The Neighborhood Talk (@theneighborhoodtalk)
Watts was subsequently arrested for how she handled the matter, with prosecutors saying that a woman who leaves the remains in the toilet after an unsuccessful plunging warrants criminal charges.
“The issue isn’t how the child died, when the child died — it’s the fact that the baby was put into a toilet, large enough to clog up a toilet, left in that toilet, and she went on [with] her day,” said Lewis Guarnieri, an assistant prosecutor for Warren, as shared by WKBN.
However, a forensic scientist testified that no injury had been committed onto the fetus and that it died before being naturally released from her body.
“This fetus was going to be nonviable,” stated Dr. George Sterbenz.
“It was going to be nonviable because she had premature ruptured membranes — her water had broken early — and the fetus was too young to be delivered.”
Advocacy groups called for the case to be dropped, saying that was happened to Watts is an everyday occurrence and not a heinous crime of neglect. As reproductive rights are at risk across the nation due to the June 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, Watts’ case has been highlighted as an example of the dangers of being a Black pregnant woman.
As calls for justice on behalf of Watts continue, the case is moving forward, with the Ohio woman expected to stand trial in front of a grand jury.
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